Spilled Cranberry Juice
by EvanescentBeauty
Summary: CHAPTER 13 UP! Set after Hunting. Cameron is pregnant with Chase's child, but many things will get in the way before things are all over. Cameron/Chase, slight Cameron/House, but not really.
1. Discovery

**A/N:** Sorry about the crappy title...I couldn't come up with anything else.

* * *

_"And it didn't suck..."_

Cameron groaned as she laid her head against the medicine cabinet after throwing up into the toilet. She'd have to call in sick today...but she didn't know why. She didn't have a fever, so it wasn't the flu...she was just throwing up for no reason. She hadn't even had breakfast! She flushed the toilet and stumbled into a sitting position on the edge of her bed. She grabbed the phone and dialed the number.

"Cuddy? Hey, it's me, Allison...yeah. Hey, I'm really sorry, but I'm really sick and I need to stay home today. Yeah...me too. Thanks...I'll see you later. Bye."

She hung up the phone and curled into the fetal position on her bed, where her eyes flickered closed and she slept.

* * *

When she woke up, she was feeling great. Well rested, and basically very perky. She ran a comb through her thick brown hair and applied makeup just to make herself feel better before she turned the corner to the kitchen. She pondered for a moment before deciding that she wasn't hungry. So she reached into the fridge and poured herself a glass of bittersweet cranberry juice. 

Millions of thoughts filled her head..._What should I do for lunch? When's my dry-cleaning supposed to get back? Was it Tuesday? Or Wednesday? Urg, I can't remember anything anymore...my period should be coming any day now..._

_...in fact it should have come a few days ago._

And then it hit her.

Her eyes widened and her knees weakened. The glass of juice fell in almost slow-motion from her hand and shattered, splattering juice everywhere. She sunk into a chair, the light darkening before her eyes for a moment.

There had been that one night with Chase...that one wonderful, romantic night that she had needed desperately...but it hadn't really meant anything...did it? She was high off crystal-meth! She couldn't be pregnant! Married women get pregnant...women who _want _to get pregnant...who planned ahead. She closed her eyes and pondered the thought for a moment.

She could not be carrying Chase's child. She just couldn't.

With that thought, she grabbed her purse and hurried through the front door, not bothering to lock it behind her. She jumped into her car and drove off.

* * *

_Oh, please be negative...oh God, I'll do anything if it's negative...anything...I'll always keep my house clean, and I'll be good to patients...I won't listen to House so much...I'll trust my own judgment and I'll stay healthier...I'll pay all my bills...and--_

It took her a moment for her to realize she was praying.

She couldn't look at it anymore, but she couldn't pull her hazel eyes away from it. So she closed them. It would only be one color...red or blue.

_Please be red...oh my God, please be red..._

She realized her eyes had been clamped shut so tightly, that when her eyes finally opened, a cascade of hot tears streamed down her face. She unclenched her hands and winced when she saw that her newly-manicured nails had cut slits in her palms. Pricks of blood dribbled off her hands, and she wiped it off with tissue paper. Tossing the paper in the trash, her eyes fell onto the test.

Blue.

Cameron grabbed the test and held it up closer.

"No, no...no, no no," she muttered incoherently to herself. "No, it can't be blue...!"

It took her two more tests to prove to herself that it was truly positive. She sat down on the toilet and sobbed. She cried for what seemed like hours before there was a knock on the door. She looked up at the clock.

6:30.

She got up and brushed herself off. She tossed water in her eyes and hurried to the door after another resounding knock. With a final shake of her head, she opened the door. Chase stood in the doorway. He was holding a steaming foam cup of soup.

"I brought you some soup," said Chase, holding it out kindly. "Cuddy said you were sick."

"Did she tell you I was throwing up?" she asked softly. Chase's eyes widened.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." he said nervously. Cameron smiled and accepted the cup gratefully.

"It's okay, I'm not anymore. Thanks, Chase," she said softly. The smile was wiped off his face instantly.

"You've been crying," he said, his face molding into one of concern. He pushed through the doorway and stood to observe her better.

"What's the matter?" he asked. Cameron wiped under her eyes quickly and shook her head.

"It's nothing," she said quickly. "Just...err...it's nothing, really. Just stress..."

Chase gave her another scrutinizing look before shaking it off.

"Alright, then," he said. "Well, can I use your bathroom? Then I'll be off."

"Sure," said Cameron, setting the cup down on the table.

She remembered too late that there were three positive pregnancy tests in the trash can.

When Chase emerged, it took her a second to realize she had been holding her breath the whole time. He emerged content.

"Alright, then...I guess I'll be off then," he said with a wave. "Feel better!"

Cameron gave a small smile before sighing with relief as Chase shut the door behind him. She looked around the house, before her eyes rested on the spilled cranberry juice all over her kitchen floor.

Damn.


	2. A Spoonful of Benadril

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait, guys. I know I left you on pins and needles, but I made some MAJOR progress in my "She Has Your Eyes"...it's now complete!!!

Cameron took a deep breath and looked at her watch. 8:23. Approximately 48 hours since she had found out that she was pregnant. _Embarazada_. With child. She had to admit that she was in no mood to come to work that day, but since she was very glad that her share of rather violent morning sickness for the day was over, she couldn't deny that she should go to work and tell Chase everything. Every little detail.

She was pleasantly surprised to see that the sun was shining above a brilliant cerulean blue sky and the ground was gleaming with new flowers. Spring was just around the corner, and it put her in a slightly happier mood.

But as soon as she pushed thorough the front doors of Princeton-Plainsboro, she knew how very wrong she was. As soon as she pushed through the front doors of Princeton-Plainsboro, her stomach dropped. The clinic was packed full to bursting with people sporting red noses and multiple tissues. Coughs rang through the lobby and nurses were running around frantically. Cameron only heard snippets of conversation, like "Stupid Spring…" and "Allergies…".

Keeping her head low, and dodging Cuddy with the ease of only an expert, she hurried into the nearest elevator and took it up with a number of other doctors. As soon as the metal doors opened, she rushed through them to House's office, where she saw Foreman, Chase and House drinking coffee.

It wasn't that she didn't like Chase, it was just that she wasn't ready for a real relationship with him. She had no doubt that he was cute; he was extremely good-looking, actually, but she didn't love him, and she doubted she ever would. She had been high on crystal-meth, and that was the only reason she was pregnant. The only reason she had to change Chase's life forever.

"See you're feeling better," said Chase in his thick Australian accent.

"Much," said Cameron brightly, hanging her heavy coat and scarf on the coat hanger and grabbing a mug. "It wasn't anything bad."

Chase smiled and House smirked.

"Aww, look at you two. This scene definitely rings a bell...Chase is pretending to care, Cameron's pretending not to care...God, this is priceless."

Cameron didn't even bother answering.

"Why aren't you guys down there helping?" she asked.

"Why aren't you?" asked House.

"I was looking for you guys," she answered.

"Hmm…" he said thoughtfully. "Well, I'm the head of diagnostics. I would be no use to anyone, as it's clear that all these people have are colds. The idiots don't have enough sense to pour themselves a spoon of Benadril and take a nap." Cameron smirked.

"So do we have a case?" asked Cameron, pouring herself a cup of steaming coffee.

"I wouldn't hope for much," said Foreman. "How long do you think till Cuddy comes in screaming like a banshee?"

"I'd say five minutes," said House. "Two, actually, but she has to take the elevator and everything, so—"

"House!"

"Oh, wrong again!" said House, snapping his fingers. Cameron turned to see Cuddy, red-faced and pale at the door.

"What is wrong with all of you?" she shrieked. "We are swamped down there, and you guys think this is coffee hour?"

"Of course not, why would you think that?" cried House in mock offense. "We made espresso."

"I swear to God, House; you get down there and do your damn job or there will be hell to pay. And you three!" she cried, her hands on her hips. "You should have the sense to help when it is so clearly needed."

Chase and Foreman glared at House.

"Not my problem," said House, sipping his coffee. "Get."

Cameron, Chase and Foreman stood up, and Cameron felt that there wouldn't be a better time than now to break the truth.

"Chase?" she began softly, taking him aside. "Can I talk to you?"

"Oh, umm…sure, what is it?" he asked.

"Well—"

"What part of 'do your job' wasn't clear?" Cuddy snapped, her eyes crackling.

"Sorry," said Chase. "Now's not a good time, how bout later?"

"Oh, well—"

"NOW!"

Nine grueling, exhausting hours later, all three ducklings finally returned to House's office, where they collapsed in their chairs.

"Oh my God," groaned Cameron. "I am so tired."

"I'm going home," said Foreman, standing up quickly. "I can't stand another minute here."

Cameron and Chase gave feeble waves of goodbye to Foreman as he left the room, then turned back to eaach other. It was at this moment that reality came rushing back to Cameron.

"What was it you wanted to tell me before?" asked Chase, sitting up a bit. Cameron had to stifle another groan.

"Oh, it was nothing," she said. There was a few moments of silence before she spoke again. "Do you wanna grab some dinner?" she asked.

"Sure," said Chase. "Where do you want to go?"

"No idea," said Cameron.

"There's a new Italian restaurant down the street. Why don't we check it out?" he suggested.

"Sounds great!" said Cameron, trying to sound enthusiastic, when all she really felt like doing was curling up in a ball on her bed and crying. But she knew that she had already done her fair share of crying in the fetal position. She knew that she would have to tell him sometime...but why did it have to be so soon?

With a deep breath, Cameron followed Chase out the door and into the crowded street.


	3. Ravioli & Cherry Garcia

"And I'll have the ravioli," said Cameron, handing the waiter her menu and smiling politely as he walked away. 

She turned back to Chase and folded her hands neatly on the table, smiling. 

"So, how are things going with you?" she asked. 

"Good, actually. I'm planning a trip home to Australia for Easter, and--" 

"Look," said Cameron, interrupting him. "I have to tell you something, and it's going to change both our lives forever." 

Chase looked at her oddly, furrowing his brow. 

"Erm, alright," he said, taking a sip of his wine. "What's up?" 

Cameron sighed. _Rip off the band-aid, _she thought to herself. _Rip, rip, RIP!!!_

"I'm pregnant," she said quickly. Chase froze, his wine glass still held up to his lips, and his eyes frozen, staring at some abstract object in another direction. Cameron felt her hands begin to tremble, and she quickly stowed them in her lap. She rubbed the top of her nose self-conciously as Chase sat there, his wine glass still up to his mouth. 

"Chase?" she whispered. "I know this isn't easy to hear, and it will be even harder to deal with, but..." she paused, not really knowing what else to say. "There is no pressure, okay?" Cameron said quietly. "You can be as involved as you want, and I completely understand if you don't want to..." but she stopped. No, she wouldn't understand if Chase decided to desert her, but that didn't sound like Chase at all, so Cameron tried to keep the idea out of her head. 

"Would you like some...water?" she suggested softly, not relishing in the thought of sticky, room-temperature wine going down what was probably now a dry throat. 

"No," croaked Chase, lowering the glass, and pursing his lips. "I...umm..." 

"Look," said Cameron. "I know this is probably not...what you thought I was going to say, and I know that it's a lot to drop on you right now, all at once, and if there was some...gentler way to do this, I would, but it's just--" 

"Have you been to the OB/GYN yet?" he asked, his eyes wide, as though he was trying to hide his fear. Cameron blinked. 

"Err, no...not yet. I made an appointment for tomorrow." 

"Hmm, so the doctor knows before I do...shocking..." 

Cameron sighed. Anger. Retaliation. She was a fool to not expect it. 

"Look, Chase, this isn't easy for me either, and I knew that I needed to see a doctor..." she trailed off at Chase's annoyed look. "Chase, I need to know one thing," Cameron said slowly. "Do you want to have any part in this?" 

Chase blinked. "Of course!" he replied shortly. "Why do you think I wouldn't?" 

"Well, I was--" 

"Look, it doesn't...erm...I'm gonna...go...now..." Chase stood up, looking extremely confused. He pulled out two one hundred dollar bills and tossed them at Cameron. "Buy yourself the best wine they have, and dinner's on me..." 

"I can't drink!" called Cameron, as Chase hurried out the door, but she wasn't sure if he heard her. She sighed, and slumped down in her chair. At that moment, the waiter came over and laid the two plates of steaming food down on the table, but Cameron had lost her appetite. 

"Can I have two boxes and a tiramisu to go, please?" she asked, not wanting to waste Chase's $200. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Cameron stormed into her apartment angrily, throwing her keys, jacket, purse and food on the table. She was too angry and too exhausted to cry, but she was to tired to feel angry, but she knew that she should feel angry. Stupid Chase...what did her know? Storming out of there and leaving her alone like some chump! Well, he hadn't exactly stormed out, more like stumbled out. _Stumbled out like an idiot,_ she thought contemptuously, hitting the POWER button on the TV. The Planet's Funniest Animals was on...Cameron hated that host. Couldn't he come up with some _funny _jokes for once? She flipped the channel. Days of Our Lives; Cameron grimaced. Some weird soap was on the Latin channel. Cameron found it highly entertaining to try to figure out what they were saying, but she was not in the mood. She was about to flip the channel again, but the doorbell rang. 

She lifted herself up reluctantly and walked to the door. She looked through the peep hole and saw Chase standing in the doorway, holding a bucket of ice cream...cherry garcia. Her favorite. _Damn you, _she growled inwardly. 

"What do you want, Chase?" she shouted through the door, folding her arms. He blinked and looked around the hallway. 

"Er...can I come in?" he asked quietly. 

"I'm sorry, can you speak up please?" snapped Cameron sarcastically. 

"Can I come in!?" he yelled, louder this time. Cameron wrenched open the door and glared at him. Chase smiled and handed her the ice cream. 

"Truce?" he asked softly. Cameron gave him a death glare but snatched the ice cream out of his hands roughly, grabbing a spoon from the drawer and wrenching off the lid. 

"No," she growled, stuffing a large spoonful into her mouth. She tried to hide her grimace when she realized it was extremely cold. 

"Look, I'm really sorry about before," said Chase. 

"Oh, why?" asked Cameron. "The way you sat there like a statue with me bumbling off stupid words into thin air? Because of that? Or maybe it's because you left me there, alone, throwing a few bills in my face like some prostitute!" 

Chase rubbed his forehead. 

"I'm sorry!" he cried. 

"So you've said," said Cameron, folding her arms. "But that doesn't really interest me. What I really want to know is what you're going to do about our situation now that I'm pregnant." 

Chase narrowed his eyes. 

"What do you want me to do?" he asked. "Ask you to marry me?" 

"No!" snapped Cameron, stoming over to her bedroom and walking inside. Chase followed suit. Cameron began fiddling with her bedspread and straightening it. 

"Then what do you want me to do?" asked Chase, clearly annoyed. 

"I want you to stop being so dense and figure out what we're going to do!" 

"Look, this isn't all me, okay? You're going to have to contribute something!" 

"Yes! A baby!" 

Chase and Cameron both stood there, panting as thought they'd run a mile, and Cameron looked positively livid. 

"Well, what do you want me to do?!" yelled Chase. "Kiss you?!" 

"Yeah! That'd be great!" shouted Cameron, still maintaining her angry composure. Chase grabbed Cameron's face in his hands, most unceremoniously and pressed her lips to his in a passionate kiss. Clothes were promptly removed, and they both had the best night they'd had since their first night together.  



	4. Day One

**A/N:** If you want to sum up this chapter, think of that guy in the soldier camp in Mulan going..."Dayyyy..._one_."

* * *

Allison Cameron woke up practically like a Disney princess. It was the sound of birds chirping and the sun's rays that woke her up, and her long auburn hair was spread out like a silky blanket over her pillow. And best of all, her Prince Charming was laid next to her.

Wait a minute...

Prince?

_Charming?_

She turned her head abruptly and jumped as she saw Chase lying beside her, his eyes closed, but his fingers running through the ends of her hair.

"Morning," he whispered. Everything inside of Cameron told her to clutch the sheets to her chest, and storm out, yelling at him that he'd taken advantage of her...or something to that effect. But the truth was, she'd wanted it. She'd wanted every bit of it, and loved every second of it. She smiled and inched up closer until her face was inches from his. She felt him smile and she pressed her lips to his. He reached over and brushed her hair back, his tongue slipping into her mouth and devouring every inch of her. Cameron felt so securely blissful, that it took all of her remaining willpower to push him away when he rolled on top of her.

"Chase," she groaned as he kissed her neck. "We have to go to work..."

"Not yet," he whispered, in between kissing her. She giggled and pushed him gently away.

"Please, Chase...I don't want them to get suspicious."

"You care what they think?" he said quietly, bringing his lips down to her collarbone and his finger under her waist.

"No..." she whispered, her breath catching as his lips traveled further down. "We can't tell them anyway...Cuddy would fire our asses..."

"Then why stop?"

Finally, Cameron managed to pull away from him and climb out of bed. She turned around to search through her dresser. As she searched for some jeans, she caught Chase's eye. He was leaned back against the headboard of the bed, a sly smile on his face and his hands behind his head as he indulged in Cameron's naked form. She stuck her tongue out at him and wrapped her fuzzy pink robe around her body.

"Oh, come on..." moaned Chase. "I wasn't finished."

"I have to give you a reason to come back tomorrow, right?" said Cameron seductively. Chase smiled as he got up and pulled his jeans on. As he walked out, Cameron leaned back against the closed door and bit her lip, trying to suppress a scream. She couldn't believe how happy she was.

* * *

As Cameron walked out of her bedroom into the kitchen, now fully dressed, her breath caught in her throat as she saw Chase's beautiful, muscled chest and strong arms standing in front of her.

"You look nice," said Chase, trailing his fingers through the fabric of Cameron's lacy sleeves.

"You look nicer," said Cameron, her hands on his chest. She ran her fingernails gently up his chest and over his shoulders, which she noticed sent shivers up his spine. She ran her fingers through his blonde hair and kissed him romantically. Before she knew it, she had pushed him down on the couch, and she was on top of him. And this time, it was Chase who had to stop her.

"Hey...wait a second..." he said, pushing her off. "What about their suspicions?"

"Screw them," she breathed, leaning forward again.

"Come on," said Chase, getting up and heading for the door. "I have to give you a reason to come back tomorrow, right?"

Cameron, smiling, hurried up to him and pushed him against the door. She ran her fingers through his hair and came very close, but didn't kiss him.

"You're right," she whispered, grabbing his tie and pulling him out of the apartment.

* * *

Cameron and Chase hurried into House's office ten minutes late. Even House was already there, which was definitely saying something.

"What are you guys doing?" asked House, his eyes narrowing.

"Nothing."

Cameron flinched as she and Chase both said it at the same time. House smiled.

"You slept together didn't you?" he asked wryly.

"No!" cried Cameron and Chase together again.

"Good God, haven't you guys had enough of each other yet?" groaned Foreman, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

Cameron made a face at him.

"So..." said House conversationally. "What's it like having sex with a wombat?"

"Subtle," growled Cameron. "I didn't sleep with him."

"Tapping fingers," noted House. Cameron immediately stopped thudding the table rhythmically with her fingers. "And twitching lower eyelid when I asked you what sex with a wombat was like..."

"You're such an ass," snapped Cameron.

"Score, dude," said House to Chase, giving him a thumbs up.

"We didn't have sex," said Chase.

"Liar," laughed Foreman.

"Will you stop it?" snapped Cameron. "You guys are so immature!"

"Tsk, tsk, Cameron," said House, wagging a finger at her. "You shouldn't bottle up your anger like that...let it ouuuttt..."

"Piss off, limpy," she growled.

"There it is," said House, leaning back in his chair. "What else you got?"

"Do we have a case?" asked Chase quickly, as Cameron looked murderous.

"Twenty-seven year old female," began House, standing up. "Rash, fever, puking for both accuracy and distance--"

"Sounds like textbook meningitis to me," said Chase.

"Have I taught you nothing?" House asked sarcastically. Chase thought for a moment before looking up again.

"But it's not, because meningitis is boring..."

"LP was negative--" House stopped as he looked at Cameron, who was staring out the window, her weight on one leg, tapping the handle of her mug again.

"Thinking about the wombat sex?" asked House, leaning in. Cameron whipped around, her eyes crackling and she made furious moves toward him, but Chase held her back.

"Dang, girl!" said House, imitating a teenage black girl. "Vanilla latte looks like she's got some anger problems! You let it out, girlfriend, you let it out!"

"Let it go, House!" cried Chase.

"Oh, this is going to be a fun day," said House, smiling.

Cameron glared at him.


	5. Self Indulgence

**A/N:** I am _so, so so SOOOO _sorry about the long wait for updates, but my parents put parental controls on so I can only get on at 4:30, and then it was really hectic because I had surgery to get my wisdom teeth out, then I was working on color guard and that was also just hectic and crazy. And with the end of the school year and what-have-you, but now that it is summer, I can finally start posting again.

Even though summer doesn't officially start for another...what is it...9 days? Well, anyway, I am trying to kick it into a little bit of overdrive, but aren't we all?

Anyway, I am very bummed that House Season 3 doesn't come out on DVD until AUGUST 21ST, and by that time, school will have already started. (Oh, did I mention? I'm a _freshman _next year!!!) But as long as my dad isn't too slow in authorizing quicksilverscreen dot com, which is blocked by the parental controls, I can watch season 3 all summer. Yes, that's right people.

And if all fails, I can always watch Dead Poets Society over and over again, I have no problem with that. D.

* * *

"Doctor Cameron!"

Cameron turned around to see Cuddy walking quickly through the masses of nurses and patients to come to her. She did not exactly look happy.

"Yes?" asked Cameron, trying to sound innocent.

"I have to talk to you," she said, with a small smile.

"Alright...about what?" asked Cameron slowly. Cuddy grabbed Cameron's arm gently and took her aside.

"Are you and Doctor Chase involved?" she asked quietly.

"Subtle," Cameron said with a smirk. "Whatever House told you is a lie."

"House is usually right about these things--"

"We walked into the office and House immediately assumed we'd slept together, and he just went from there."

"Doctor Chase had lipstick on his neck," said Cuddy, blinking slowly.

"So that automatically means it's mine?" cried Cameron, appalled. Even though she knew the lipstick was hers (at least it had better be hers) she was slightly offended that everyone was so quick to accuse her of sleeping with him.

"Look, it's my job to inquire into these things," said Cuddy, almost apologetically. "I'm the Dean of Medicine here and you and Doctor Chase have slept together before, and have been involved...I just need to know if--"

"We're not together!" snapped Cameron, in a much meaner tone than she had meant. Cuddy raised her eyebrows.

"Sorry," said Cameron in a low voice. "Gotta go."

She turned around and began walking the other way to the lab, where she saw Chase and Foreman were already there. As soon as she pushed open the door, Foreman looked up at her, but Chase pointedly kept looking at his test tubes.

"Hey," said Cameron, taking a seat next to Foreman who was looking through a microscope.

"So," said Foreman after a minute's uncomfortable silence. "Did you sleep together?"

"No," said Cameron and Chase together. "_Dammit_, Chase!" snapped Cameron, rounding on him.

"Look, I won't tell House. I just don't want to be here when you guys start grooming each other in public, and calling each other 'sweetie-pie', and 'shnookums' when I'm around."

"That is never going to happen," said Cameron, glaring at Foreman. As soon as Foreman had his eye back against the microscope she looked over and eyed Chase. "_Ever_," she added.

Chase smirked.

"So, I take that as a yes?" said Foreman, more as a question.

"Look, I've given you my answer," said Cameron.

"Doesn't mean it's true. Everybody--"

"I swear to God, if you say that stupid mantra again I will crush your head in," growled Cameron. "Don't you think I get enough of that from House?"

"Maybe," said Foreman. "You really think I'm going to tell House?"

"There's nothing to tell," said Chase.

"Could you at least _try _to sound convincing?" asked Cameron, narrowing her eyes.

Foreman just chuckled.

"You gotta spill sometime," he said.

Cameron just sulked.

* * *

Cameron could barely suppress a sigh of relief as the clock ticked 6:00 PM. Finally, the day was over. Even though she knew that only another day would come of House's teasing, tormenting and sneaky behavior, it was nice to know she had a whole fifteen hours left before her next session. As she turned the corner to leave the building, she ran into Chase.

"Hello," said Chase, smiling that beautiful grin that made Cameron go weak at the knees.

"Hi," she answered.

There was a long, awkward silence before Chase began to talk.

"Hey, do you want to...get a drink or something?" he asked.

"Sure," she answered. "But we better hurry. House doesn't stay at work a minute later than he has to."

Chase grinned as the two of them walked out of the building.

"Where to?" he asked.

"There's a little park not too far away, with a little coffee shoppe there. It's great," said Cameron.

"Sure."

As they climbed into the first cab they could snatch, Chase opened his mouth to speak.

"When did you find out?" he asked. Cameron gulped slightly.

"Not too long ago. My sickness started the day after I found out--"

"Coincidentally," cut in Chase.

"Shut up," growled Cameron. They sat in the cab for a long time before Cameron finally spoke up.

"S-so..." she began softly. "Do you want to keep it?"

Chase looked over at her. "Of course!" he said, with a shocked expression on his face. "I mean...don't you?"

"Yes!" she cried. "I just..."

"You really think I'm that shallow?"

"No! I just, I didn't know if--"

"And even so, how is it my decision?" he said.

"Well," began Cameron. But the cab had pulled to a stop. Cameron paid the driver and got out, smiling at the beautiful sight of the lovely-lit park. She felt Chase's hand on her shoulder.

"Well what?" he asked, as they began to walk.

"Oh," she said. "Well, I just...I don't know..." Her voice trailed away.

Cameron looked around as she scuffed a small rock across the pavement and into the shiny, wet grass. She inhaled deeply, sucking in all the beautiful scents that surrounded her; the grass, the sweet winter air.

"Listen," said Chase slowly. "I know this is kind of sudden, but...err..." He scratched the top of his nose self-consciously.

"What is it?" asked Cameron. Chase turned on his heel and stopped in the road, forcing Cameron to do the same.

"Well, I mean...I was planning to go back to Australia for...Christmas, and I was wondering if maybe...you'd...like to join me?"

Cameron blinked, taken aback. "Oh," she said blankly.

"I mean, it's okay," said Chase. "If you don't want to, I completely understand. I mean...no parents, just a lot of weird cousins running around, right? I mean--"

"No, no...I want to go!" said Cameron, with a smile.

"Really?" Chase said, and this time it was his time to blink stupidly.

"Yeah," said Cameron. "Yeah, I think that would be fun."

"Okay! Great!" said Chase. "But, I mean...you do know that my parents aren't going to be there...just my brother and his relatives, a lot, and I have some cousins and some uncles...I don't even know why I'm going back. I just sort of miss it there."

"I'll be there for you," she said, running her fingers through his hair. "I promise."

Chase leaned in a kissed her sweetly on the lips.

"You...you are brilliant," he whispered.

"You're not too bad yourself," she answered, kissing him back. "And...you know, we're having this baby, and I think it's best that we--get to know each other?"

"Right," said Chase, clearing his throat. "Right."

Cameron clasped his hand in hers as they began to walk slowly down the pavement again. Chase reached over and ran his hand over her stomach.

"There's no lump yet," she said.

"I don't care," he said quietly. "It's my _child_."

Chase's eyes were riveted to her stomach, and Cameron smiled at him, stroking his hair.

"Thought of any names yet?" he asked.

"I just found out I was pregnant, like, two days ago!" scoffed Cameron. "Give a girl a chance!"

But Chase just continued to stroke her belly for a long time. Finally, they paused.

"Are you scared?" asked Chase.

"Of course," admitted Cameron. "I'm very scared."

"Do you trust me?" asked Chase.

Cameron eyed him.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "But we're both new at this."

"Right," said Chase. "But I'm not...ready for this."

"Me neither. But it happened."

Chase smiled. "Right."

Suddenly, Cameron's eyes filled with tears. Her lip trembled, and hot tears spilled over the confines of her lids.

"I...maybe we should terminate this baby," she whimpered.

"What?" breathed Chase. "Why?"

"We're being selfish," she breathed. "We're not ready...this baby was a mistake. I didn't want...I mean...it's not fair to the baby..."

"Hey, Cameron...Allison, look at me," said Chase, taking her chin in his hand. "Look at me. Everything," he said, his eyes wide and his voice steady. "Is going to be _fine_."

"You don't know that," whispered Cameron. "You don't know..."

"There's a first time for everything," he said. "You just have to want it."

"We should be married," said Cameron.

"What? Now?" asked Chase.

"No, of course not. I mean we _should _be married. A baby needs a mother and a father, and if we're not--"

"You think I'm going to leave," said Chase, finally realizing. "You think...I'm going to abandon you."

Cameron shook her head half-heartedly. "No," she said. "I just...I, I just..." She sighed, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I don't want to be left alone."

Chase paused, wiping the tears from her eyes. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

"Chase!" she cried, pushing away. "You can't just kiss me and make it all better!"

"I'm not!" cried Chase. "I am never going to leave you. Ever. I promise you."

"You can't know what you'll feel later on," said Cameron. "You can't...you can't know what you'll want."

"I know that I am seriously falling for you," said Chase. "And...I want this baby. I'm excited."

"Yeah, about the _baby, _Chase. Not about the ten diapers it'll need changed, the extra food, the clothes, the college fund, the car...Chase, this is a big commitment, and I don't know if we're ready for it."

"Can't we just like this for what it is?" asked Chase. "Let it be?"

Cameron paused, weighing the options. Finally, she said, "No, Chase. I can't just let it be. I'm either going to make this baby a success with you at my side or I'm going to mess it up. I'm not going for the latter."

She turned and began to walk away. Chase grabbed her hand, but she wrenched it away.

"Where are you going?" he asked, sounding hurt.

"I'm sorry, Chase. I have some things to think about. And if you can't give me a legitimate answer soon, I..." she paused. "I'm terminating."

Ignoring the shock and hurt on Chase's face, she turned, arms crossed and more tears forming, and began to walk home.


	6. The Reason

It was against everything that Cameron had ever stood by, and she knew it.

Abortion? It was murder.

Cameron knew that as well. And she knew that she could never bring herself to kill this baby. Or any baby after this one. It had been a compulsive decision, and let's face it--it had sounded nice and dramatic. Maybe it would get Chase to think outside his stupid little red box like he always did.

Australia? With Chase?

First of all, she knew her mother would absolutely kill her. No, she would torture her blind, and _then _she would kill her. An illegitimate child? And second of all, she would be going across the world to a foreign country with a man whose illegitimate child she was having, with a man she _wasn't_ married to.

Her thoughts were interrupted as her phone began to vibrate. She picked it up and saw the name.

Robert Chase.

She groaned, but flipped the phone up.

"What?" she growled.

"Uh...Cameron?" he said quietly. "Is this a bad time?"

"No, Chase, it's an excellent time. I was just about to take a ride through Candyland with my magical rainbow unicorn named Cotton and all of the little woodland creatures just brought me a garland crown of lilies and roses." 

She heard him sigh.

"Look, I have an answer," he said. "It's not that good...but it's all I can think of."

Cameron exhaled sharply through her nose.

"Alright," she said. "What is it?"

There was a pause.

"I...I want this baby so much, Allison," he began slowly. "And I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have it with than you."

Cameron's lip began to tremble, even though she knew it was an incredibly tacky thing to do.

"Allison?" he said. "Is that okay?"

"Y-yeah..." she answered quietly. "That's just fine."

There was a knock on her door. She turned and opened it up without even bothering to see who it was. There stood Chase, his phone still held up to his ear and a peculiar look on his face.

"Are you sure?" he said quietly. In a rush of adrenaline, Cameron thrust her phone to the ground, flung her arms around his neck and kissed him as hard as she could. Spluttering, Chase pulled away slightly.

"W-wait...Cameron," he said. "I--I mean..."

"Yes, I'll go to Australia with you," she breathed. "I love you, Chase."

"Wait...what?"

Cameron froze, her lips still pressed slightly against his. Slowly, she dropped down onto her heels and drew back slightly.

"D-did you just say that...you love me?" breathed Chase.

"I...I don't know why...I mean..."

"You...you just said--"

"I know what I said!" cried Cameron quickly.

Chase looked at the ground. Cameron blinked, trying to figure out why she said that.

"Sorry," she murmered. "I'll see you later."

"But--"

"Chase, please just go home, okay? I'm tired."

She kissed him on the lips quickly and shut the door in his face.


	7. Nightmares & Bad Days

**A/N:** I would just like to say thank you to AllisonCammie, my 100th reviewer!! This fic was a billion times more popular than I originally expected it to be, but I'm glad you enjoy my writing!

And SECONDLY! _**(This is very important) **_I have made some serious errors in my story. In the beginning, all the patients were coming in with colds and allergies because of Spring. Then I had Chase invite Cameron to Australia with him for Christmas. ACK! Don't worry, I have fixed the problem. She is going with him for EASTER instead, which is how it was originally intended.

* * *

Disclaimer: (breaks into hysterical laughter)

* * *

**Cameron wrapped her arms around Chase's waist, drinking in his sweet scent. She rolled slightly onto her side so she could stroke her belly, which was growing quite large, and stretched at least 6 inches out from her belly. **

**"Oh, Robert..." she breathed. "I'm so glad you're here. We can have the baby now...I've missed you."**

**Chase said nothing. She tightened her hold on him slightly, bringing him closer. **

**"Tell me you've missed me," she whispered. **

**"No," he said blankly. "I didn't miss you."**

**"Why?" she asked. "I thought you loved me..."**

**"I'm in love with someone else," he said. "And you're in love with House. I don't need you."**

**"No!" she cried. "I don't love House! I never loved him! I want **_**you**_**, Robert!"**

**"I don't love this baby, either," he said blankly, pulling out a syringe filled with gray-black liquid that was bubbling and fizzing inside it's container. **

**"What is that?" she whispered. He said nothing, only pointed the syringe and began to bring the needle into her belly. **

**"Chase...no," she tried to scream, but it came out only as a pathetic whimper. She tried to run, but her feet were glued to the ground. **

**"I want her to die," snarled Chase, his eyes gleaming red.**

"Aah!"

Cameron sat up so straight and so suddenly in bed that she flung herself forward and over the side of the bed, crashing onto the floor and knocking her elbow and knee against the dresser.

"Son of a _bitch_!" she hissed into the darkness. She didn't really know if she was angry at the pain, or at the thought of Chase murdering her baby, but she got up slowly and laid down gently in her bed. She didn't even bother straightening the sheets. She had been twisting and turning all night, and she highly doubted that it would stop, especially after that dream.

Cameron's head reeled and her elbow throbbed as the clock ticked 2:47 AM. Millions of things were running through her head.

_I've got to get groceries...get my dry-cleaning...Some pregnancy books would be nice...Get rid of all the alcohol in the house...House...should I tell House? No, hell no, I'm not telling him...Foreman? No, he only cares about himself, it's a fact of nature. I need to call Chase...get tickets if I'm going to Melbourne...or Sydney? Where does he live, damn it? Well, like I'd ever care before now...to me he was just a pretty, blonde Australian guy...now he's the father of my unborn child?? Ugh!!! I need to _SLEEP

She sat up straight in bed, her head throbbing. She climbed out of bed and hurried into the chilly kitchen. It was early April, but it had been a long, cold winter, and it was still freezing at night. She pulled out a bottle of Ibuprofen and tossed two back in her throat, gulping them down with a glass of water. She sat down on the couch, and pulled her robe tighter around her body, curling up into a ball and leaning over gingerly onto the pillow. She closed her eyes and tried to relax.

She tried to imagine herself on a beach, the sun was about to set, the waves were crashing gently. Her soft, silky long auburn hair was let loose of hair ties and flowing in the cool breeze. She began to turn and dance to the music of her own imagination, she lifted her arms above her head and spun tightly, then she felt arms wrap around her lower back, and she felt her spine bend to their will, curling back in a graceful dip. As she was brought back up, she found herself in Chase's arms.

"Chase," she whispered.

"Allison," he murmured, kissing her neck gently. She rested her head in the crook of his neck and breathed in his sweet scent.

"Robert, you were right," she whispered. "I think I'm falling in love with you..."

"Wrong!" hissed Chase, his eyes flaring red. He withdrew a knife and plunged it into her stomach, as Cameron sat up straight on the couch, letting out a blood-curdling scream. Tears spilled from her eyes and she screamed into her hands.

"No!" she moaned into the pillow. "NO!" she screamed. She felt the urge coming and she ran to the bathroom, where she threw up violently into the toilet. Tears continued to spill from her eyes as her fit ended. She leaned back in between the toilet and the bathtub and sighed, rubbing her mouth and wiping away the tears. She knew that she shouldn't have this feeling at all, but she got up gingerly and picked up the phone from the kitchen. She dialed the number slowly, then held the phone to her ear.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

"Oh, please pick up," moaned Cameron. "Please, please..."

But he didn't. It was the machine.

"Hi, you've reached Robert Chase's cell phone, please leave a message."

_BEEEP_.

There was a few moment of silence before Cameron managed to croak out words.

"Umm, hi..." she whispered. "I'm...I'm having trouble sleeping, and I'm having nightmares...I just...needed someone to talk to...see you tomorrow."

She hung up the phone and sighed. She needed to relax, so she hurried to her bed, where she snatched her iPod and wrapped the headphones around her head. She hurried through the songs before finally resting on a song that seemed relatively pleasing. The soft jazz music filled her ears, calming her slightly.

"_Do I love you, oh my, do I--honey, 'deed I do..."_

_If I didn't have so much on my goddamn mind, _she growled to herself. _Then maybe I would be able to get half a minute's sleep without being haunted by nightmares about Chase murdering my baby or myself. _

Suddenly, she heard her phone ringing. She looked over at it. The light was on, and the thing was vibrating, so she picked it up and flipped it open, pulling off her headphones.

"Hello?" she said.

"Allison?"

Cameron breathed out a sigh of relief. It was Chase.

"Hi," she breathed out.

"Um, did you call me?" he asked, sounding definitely groggy.

"Uh, yeah," she said, now feeling embarrassed. She rubbed the top of her forehead. "Sorry about that..."

"What did you need?" he asked.

"Err, nothing...I can't sleep," she said. She slapped herself in the head, knowing now what a dumb idea it was. But when she thought about hanging up, she got an awful pain in her stomach. She _wanted _to talk to Chase. She _needed _to.

"You...called me up...at three in the morning," he said slowly. "To tell me you...couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah, stupid I know," she said regretfully. "I just...I wanted somebody to talk to."

"Call House, he's _naturally _grumpy," said Chase.

Cameron's dream flashed through her head. _"I'm in love with someone else, and you're in love with House. I don't need you."_

"You don't mean that," she said quietly. "I was...having nightmares."

"Oh," said Chase. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," she said, not even wanting to think about what he would say if she told him that he was killing his own child in her dreams. It would be her own little secret.

"Okay," he said.

"I just wanted to hear your voice...it's...comforting," she said.

"Alright," said Chase. "Are you better now?"

"A little," she admitted. There was a silence.

"Do you want me to come over?" he said. "You don't sound very good."

"No," she said quickly. "No, no...you-you get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning. If I'm there late, I want my coffee black--caffeinated, kay?"

"You never take your coffee black," he said, and Cameron could just picture the quizzical look on his face. "You take your coffee decaf, double milk with a pinch of sugar."

One corner of her mouth twisted up into a smile. "You know my coffee?" she asked.

"No," he answered quickly. "I mean...well, yeah, but I make it every day, you can't expect me to not--"

"I make my own coffee," she retorted, still smiling.

"W-well," spluttered Chase. "You've always had the same coffee, and...I had a crush on you a while back, okay?" he admitted.

"I know," she admitted. "You got nervous when I talked to you about sex."

It was a mark of how much she respected his manhood that she did not point out that she had heard the gulp he so obviously had taken.

"A little," he said. "But every co-worker would be the same--"

"Okay, Chase," she answered smugly. "See you."

"See you," he answered. "Oh, wait," he said. "Are you coming to Australia with me?"

There was a silence. Cameron hadn't thought this over yet.

"If you don't want to, you can just tell me," he said. "I know we're kind of rushing things, and it's only natural that you'd want more time to think about something like this, and I'm really not respecting what you might be feeling right now--"

"No, Chase," she said quickly. "I'd like to come, really...I just...I don't want your family to..." he voice trailed away.

"Yeah?" he said. "To what?"

"To think I'm...some dumb Yankee prostitute who you knocked up after a crazy night at the bar or something," she said, feeling very awkward.

"Okay, first of all, we're Australian, not British; we don't call you _Yanks_. And second, they're not going to think that," he said. "Trust me, my family can't think beyond their own noses."

"But, everyone observes. It's like House always says, no matter what people do or say, we always make a first impression of people and go from there. I don't...I mean, it's not like it's never going to happen, and it's definitely not like it's never happened before, but...this is different. I'm not just some girl passing by on the street...I'm carrying your child. For all they know, I'm just a pretty little--"

"Stop that, Ali," he said. "You know they won't--"

"Ali?" she said skeptically. "N-no one's called me Ali since I was seven."

"Do you not like it?" he asked. "It was just sort of...impulsive."

"No," she said. "Actually, it's...kind of nice."

She smiled.

"Ali," she said to herself. "I like it." There was a moment's silence before she spoke. "Where to, captain?"

"Melbourne," he said. "I'll get your ticket."

"Okay," she said. "Good night."

"'Night."

* * *

As soon as Cameron walked into House's office that day, she knew something was wrong. In fact, something was very wrong.

"Oh, looky-looky what daddy found!" called House loudly, brandishing two rectangular pieces of paper. "My oh my, who could they belong to?"

"House, give them back!" snapped Chase.

"Not until you give me your lunch money!" snapped House.

"What is that?" asked Cameron, looking thoroughly scared.

"Two tickets to Melbourne, Australia, wha'd'ya know?" said House tauntingly, eyes widening, jumping casually out of Chase's reach.

"You _brought _them to _work_?" cried Cameron, her hands on her hips.

"I was gonna give them to you! I didn't think he'd go snooping around my briefcase--"

"You're an idiot _not _to expect it," said Foreman, not looking up from his paper. Chase glared at him.

"He's a nosy ass. Act surprised," sneered Foreman.

"House, give them back," said Cameron angrily, holding out her hand.

"No," he answered simply.

"It's none of your business!" she snapped hotly.

"It is if it means two of my team gone for seven days," he replied.

"That's a load of crap. You didn't steal those tickets because you want us to stay, you stole them because you're a jerk with no sense of personal boundaries."

"Is there a difference?" asked House. "But I was right, then, wasn't I? You _did _sleep together."

"Yes, alright?" snapped Cameron as Chase opened his mouth to deny it. "And you know what? Just to avoid any further confrontation, I'm pregnant!" she added mockingly, throwing her hands up.

House's eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly.

"Seriously?" he said.

"No!" said Chase quickly. "Cameron--!"

"No, Chase," snapped Cameron. "I'm pregnant. Okay, we done with that? Good. Now hand me the tickets and tell us about the case."

House smirked and handed the tickets back to Chase.

"Cuddy's gonna skin your ass," he sneered to a pale-faced Chase. "Those low-cut tops are just a cover-up for her evil nature."

"Oh good!" said Cameron loudly, pulling out a filter from the shelf. "I was _wondering _when we'd get to Cuddy's breasts," she hissed.

"You're just jealous he's not talking about _yours_," said Foreman calmly. Cameron slammed the mug down on the counter, and all three men flinched.

"I'm not _jealous _of Cuddy!" she shouted. "I know you all think I'm just head over heels for House, but I'm not! So can we just let it go please?"

The other three stared at her, taken aback at her sudden outburst.

"Are...you okay?" asked Foreman tentatively.

"Hormones," House mouthed to him, extravagantly enough so that Cameron could see him. She gave him a death glare.

"I would call you something obscenely vulgar right now along with a series of rude hand gestures, but I'm not in the mood," sneered Cameron.

"Glad to hear it," said House as he stirred his coffee.

* * *

**A/N:** Please check out the banner that I have made for this story. It's the best one I've made so far. Make sure you delete the spaces.

http:// i114.photobucket .com/ albums/n244/ jackSpArr0w2006/ spilledcranberryjuice .png

Also, if you guys wanted the song that Cameron played, it's called "'Deed I Do" by Diana Krall, which was played in Season 2 during the episode "All In".


	8. Flight 486 to Melbourne

**A/N:** **PLEASE READ!!!! **_I'm very sorry to inform you all that updates (on all stories) will be a lot slower than usual now that high school has started. It's a new time in my life, and, unfortunately, a much busier one. This doesn't mean that I will not do all in my power to keep on writing, because I cannot imagine my life without these wondrous stories, but they will be much slower not only because of homework, but because of other commitments in my life, especially color guard. Thanks for being so understanding, and I hope you keep on reading! Please keep checking for updates!_

Also, I just wanted to apologize for not updating on this thing in two months.

* * *

Saturday morning dawned cloudy, gray and rainy, and Cameron was very unhappy about that. She dunked under the covers and let out a groan. _Aaah, _she thought miserably. _Ode to waking up alone... in the rain... lovely. _There were many things she had to remember to do today. She had to finish packing, board a plane to Melbourne, Australia, and greet the family and friends of the father of her unborn illegitimate child. And all the while, she had to dodge calls from House (not that she thought he would), Cuddy and her mother. She also had to call Chase and ask him when he was picking her up and she had to pick up some pregnancy boks. 

She let out a yelp as her phone let out a shrill scream of a ring. Cursing slightly, she looked at the called ID.

Eric Foreman.

She went off the personal call list. House, Cuddy, Mom... Though she would rather not talk to him, she figured it couldn't hurt. She picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hey, _Jessica_! How was your Planned Parenthood meeting? You coming to cheerleading practice today?"

"House!?!" cried Cameron incredulously. "What are you doing answering Foreman's phone?"

"Well, I just figured you wouldn't answer if _I _called, so--"

"Well did it ever occur to you that there was a _reason _for that?" she snapped.

"I've got a case," said House quickly.

"You're _kidding _me, right?" she scoffed.

"Patient came in because of anaphalactic shock--"

"House..."

"Twenty-eight year old male--"

"House?"

"No signs of head trauma or seizures in the past--"

"HOUSE!"

But it was not House who answered.

"House... get off my phone... gimme that..."

There was a rustling of muffled sounds as what sounded like Foreman wrestled the phone out of House.

"Cameron?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said in an exhausted voice.

"Sorry... see you when---"

BEEP.

Cameron blinked, surprised. She figured something must have happened with the connection, so she hung up. And she turned off her phone just to be safe.

* * *

Cameron looked up at the large screen looming in front of her... it was a lot bigger than the ones in the other Terminal... she had never been in this one before. She had joined the throngs of people also going away for the Spring holidays, and a large group of people were doing the same thing she was. Her hazel eyes scanned the list of names frantically, just looking for her name so she could leave this madness. Finally, she found what she was looking for. 

Flight 486 Melbourne

She let out a groan as she read that last word, which flashed an irritating neon red next to all the other green and white ones.

_Delayed. _

Still cursing silently to herself, she picked up her phone again and dialed the number.

"Chase?" she said.

"Yeah?" he said.

"The flight's delayed... "

She stopped as a voice came over the airport intercom.

"Flight four-eighty-six to Melbourne, Australia will be delayed for another hour. We apologize for the inconvenience."

"Oh, just brilliant," she sighed. "I get here three hours early for this?"

"I'll be there soon... I took a taxi. We're just pulling up. I'll see you inside."

Cameron slapped the small black phone down. God, this pissed her off. _Maybe I'm PMS or something. _Five seconds later, she literally let out a laugh at herself for reasons to obvious to mention to even her own subconcious.

She turned around a little bit to have a look around, when she finally spotted gold. Jamba Juice. _Can you say perfect timing, or what? _she asked herself. She hurried into the short line for the shop and took out her wallet. There was _one _silver lining to this crap-hole day, at least.

* * *

"Okay... I change my mind." 

"_Ladies and gentlemen, please sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight."_

Cameron closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, truly exhausted. Chase held her hand.

"Cameron, it's going to be alright," he said. "It's going to be fine..."

"Oh yes, this coming from the guy who hasn't seen his family in fifteen years," scoffed Cameron, slightly angry.

"_Twelve_," snapped Chase lamely. "And I know this was a stupid thing to do, especially now with the baby on the way."

Cameron wrung her hands desperately and closed her eyes as a wave of pressure pressed down on her as the plane began to climb higher into the blue New Jersey sky.

"For God's sake," she muttered. "When do they let you turn on electronic devices?" She longed desperately for the sweet release of her sound-canceling headphones blaring swing music or "American Idiot". _I sure'm acting like an American Idiot right now, _she thought to herself miserably. _So much for the American dream._

"It interferes with the reception from the Air Traffic Control center," said Chase.

Cameron wanted to say, "I know", but for some reason, she felt better about him repeating it to her. It was a nice feeling, finally having someone to watch over her. She needed that kind of reassrance... that kind of comfort.

"So... how long till we get there?" she asked.

"A good fifteen hours, I'd suspect," said Chase quietly.

There was a few moments of silence before Cameron spoke again.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"You've nothing to be sorry for," replied Chase.

Neither of them said anything for quite some time.

* * *

**A/N:** Wow. I just realized how crappy this chapter was. The next is already better 


	9. First Encounter

Cameron clasped Chase's hand as she stood behind him. He didn't say anything.

"Chase?" she murmuered. "Robert?"

There was a grim expression on his face.

"I haven't been here in twleve years," he said, not moving his eyes from the front door.

"I know," said Cameron, stroking his silky blonde hair. "This is a good thing for you to do."

"We shouldn't have come," said Chase miserably. "This was a horrible... _horrible _idea..."

"No! No, it wasn't," said Cameron quickly. She swiveled him around and put her hands on his shoulders, staring at him firmly. "Chase," she began. "This is the first time you've been home since your dad died. You need to make your peace with this."

"I shouldn't have taken you here. You don't understand my family..."

"Why, how chivalrous of you," said Cameron sarcastically. "I'm a big girl, Robert."

"My Aunt Sheila... she has a daughter... my cousin... she has schizophrenia..."

"I'm a doctor," said Cameron.

"I am too, bu... I always get angry at her. I don't want her to... I mean, you--"

"_I'll _be fine," said Cameron as she reached forward and knocked three times. As if on cue, they heard an angry scream from inside the house and a crash like breaking glass. Cameron flinched, and Chase squeezed her hand painfully.

"Dammit, Jamie!" came a scream from the house.

"Please," he moaned. "Let's just go..."

"No, Chase," said Cameron. "Look, we--"

Suddenly, the door banged open to reveal a woman, red-faced and sweaty. She had a red bandanna wrapped over a head of short blonde hair.

"Hello?" she said, in an accent much thicker than Chase's. Suddenly, the flustered look on her face turned to one of shock as she registered who was at the door.

"Hi, Aunt Sheila," said CHase. She brought a hand to her throat.

"Robert?" she breathed. "You--!"

Another crassh was heard.

"Mom!"

A very pretty blonde teenage girl came out of the back room. She had a furious look on her face, and fierce, emerald-green eyes.

"Mom, I am TRYING to study!" she shouted. "How is that supposed to happen when Jamie is bringing down the roof every minute of the day?"

"Don't talk to me like that!" shouted Sheila.

"YOU DON'T LISTEN ANY OTHER TIME!" screamed the girl.

"Oh, my God," groaned Chase, turning away and burying his face in his hands. Cameron saw another girl, with much darker hair, only it wasn't silky or smooth like her mother's. It was bushy and frizzy. Her eyes, a dark jade green, were wild. She was gangly, freckled, and slightly grungy-looking, as though she hadn't bathed in a week. She held a large bowl in her hand. Her eyes flicked around until they fell on her mother.

"I don't want the mail!" hissed the girl.

"Do they look like mailmen?" snapped Sheila irritably. She turned back to Chase.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I don't know," said Chase. "I really don't know why I ever came back here."

"Who's she?" asked Sheila, her gray-blue eyes flicking over Cameron.

"I'm Allison Cameron," she said quickly, holding out a hand.

"Pleasure," said Sheila skeptically, staring down at Cameron's hand as though it were a tarantula. "Why are you here?"

"I work with Robert," said Cameron.

"Oh, really? What's your story this time? Child Protective Services? Not paying for my house? Were the last three checks the ones that 'got lost' in the mail, or did they just--"

"No!" said Cameron quickly. "Really! I work with your nephew at the hospital in New Jersey."

"I don't like her," growled Jamie. "She looks like a whore..."

Cameron eyed Chase pointedly, but he ignored her.

"Maybe we should go," said Chase quietly.

"Well, yeah, Robbie!" said the pretty teenage girl. "Because if someone dies, we don't want you here for the funeral!"

"Aisha!" hissed Sheila.

"How could you not come home for your own father's funeral?!" shrieked Aisha, her eyes crackling.

"That's none of your damn business!" shouted Chase.

"Robert..." growled Shelia, in a low warning voice.

"No!" he shouted. "Maybe I need to get some things straightened out before I go!"

"Chase, come on, don't--" muttered Cameron, holding his arm. Chase let out a derisive laugh and shook her off.

"You wanna know how I found out about my dad dying?"

"Bring it on, Robbie!" sneered Aisha. "I've got all fuckin' day."

"I got a random call during the day that my dad had died! He never even told me he was sick!"

Aisha's eyes were narrowed, and she looked positively livid.

"A patient ended up dying because of that call," hissed Chase.

"You're an awful liar!" shouted Aisha tearfully. "I don't believe you!"

"Believe whatever the hell you want."

"Even if that stupid lie was true, it was all your fault!"

"Oh! _My _fault, is it? How convenient! And where do you get off with this whole self-righteous bullshit? What about your mistakes? _Your _faults? What about the fact that you got knocked up at fifteen?"

Shelia managed to restrain Aisha as she raised her fist angrily and lunged at Chase.

"Robert, _now is not the time!" _cried Sheila.

"You son of a bitch!" shouted Aisha. "Why did you ever come back?!"

"Because I'm..." Chase paused, then looked over at Cameron. There were so many emotions going through her eyes... fear, confusion... he couldn't tell which was which.

"She's pregnant," he murmured.

"YOU WANT TO MAKE A REAL POINT?" screamed Aisha, looking as though she was ready to kill. In this commotion, Jamie had begun to bang on the pot with her head, arms and hands, screaming and yelling jibberish to promote the din of noise.

"YOU GO AHEAD AND MAKE YOUR FUCKING JOKES ABOUT MY PAIN!"

"He's not joking," said Cameron darkly. "I'm pregnant."

There was no sound. Sheila's eyes were wide, Jamie was just scurrying wildly in oblongs about the house, and Aisha was panting like a winded rhinocerous. Sheila's eyes flicked down to Cameron's fingers.

"You're... not married," she said simply.

"You filthy little hypocrite!" shouted Aisha. "You dirty, rotten, piece of--"

"I'm not proud of it!" he shouted. "But at least--"

"At least what?" screamed Aisha. "At least you get to come here and brag that you're the millionairre in New York City or wherever--" (Cameron thought it would be tactless to point out that they lived in New Jersey.) --"with the slutty girlfriend and the new baby when you know we're all just a bunch of trailer trash down in the outback, isn't that it?"

"You watch your mouth!" shouted Chase.

"What'cha gonna do about it?" sneered Aisha.

"I tell you what I'm gonna do about it--!" growled Chase, lunging for her, but Cameron held him back.

"For God's sake, Chase--"

"ALRIGHT!" screamed Sheila. "I WANT EVERYBODY OUT! Aisha! Get outside and vent or something! Take Jamie with you!"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" screamed Aisha.

"NOW!" shouted Sheila.

Aisha screamed in anger as she dragged a thrashing Jamie out the front door and slammed the door so hard it threatened to unhinge. There were a few moments of silence.

"All," began Sheila quietly. "that I am trying to do... is run a family. A nice, decent one. Not a trailer trash family like Aisha so obviously thinks we are. I'm trying to raise a bitchy snob and a schizophrenic for a daughter, and here you come waltzing in with your new girlfriend wanting-- I don't know, hospitality? Like I have time for that!"

Chase and Cameron lowered their heads.

"Now," continued Sheila, lowering her voice still. "I want you to leave this house and go to a hotel. You've certainly got the money, and I haven't got the time nor space."

Chase didn't say anything.

"Please don't come back here during your visit," said Sheila simply, holding the door open.

Quietly, Chase and Cameron walked out the door and into the backyard, where a glowering Aisha and a vague-looking Jamie wandered around outside.

"See you later, Aisha," muttered Chase, giving her a weak wave.

"Fuck off," growled Aisha in a low voice. Chase's hand went limp.

"Robert, let's go..." whispered Cameron, pulling him in the other direction. "Let's just leave them in peace."

"Yeah, like you know so much about it!" sneered Aisha.

"Shut up!" shouted Chase.

"Bite me!" screamed Aisha.

"Robert..." growled Cameron. "Let's. _Go_."

It was not with smiles, warm feelings or comforting words that the couple drove out, and checked into the nearest hotel room.


	10. I'm Gonna Be a Mother!

**A/N:** I know this is a really short chapter... but it's kind of a buffer for you guys, and I thought it would be kind of cute. Hope you like it:)

* * *

Cameron slumped into the room at 11:30 that night, exhausted. She sighed deeply as she heard Chase close the door behind her. She tossed her suitcase onto the king-sized bed and hit the chair bottom with a dull thud. She stared out the open window into the sparkling Australian city that laid 20 stories beneath her. It looked so beautiful... so full of promise and wonder. But all Cameron could feel now was disapointment and exhausted frustration. She heard Chase turn on the sink in the bathroom. A few minutes later it turned off, and the room laid extremely quiet for 30 minutes.

Cameron looked down at her stomach and touched it gently. She could just barely see the beginnings of a lump, but then again, it was probably just her imagination. She stroked it with the edge of her thumb and thought about the little creature that was growing inside of her... how many cells was it at this point? Ten? Fifty? One hundred? Suddenly, she got the strangest feeling inside of her... like she wasn't meant to carry this baby... She didn't deserve this child. She felt like she should push the baby out of her right now, rub it off... she tensed her stomach and clutched her arms to her chest, tears beginning... But then it truly hit her. She was a mother. She raised her head.

"Oh, my God."

Chase peered around the corner of the bathroom wall.

"What?" he said.

"Oh...oh my God!" cried Cameron, standing up.

"What's going on? What's wrong?" asked Chase, looking concerned. He hurried towards her, but pulled back as Cameron began to freak. She put her hands to her forehead and pushed her fingers into her hair. A huge smile crept onto her face... it threatened to rip her face clean off.

"Oh my GOD!!" she screamed. "I'm... I'm having a baby!"

Chase cocked an eyebrow. "Yes...?"

"I'M GONNA BE MOTHER!" she screamed, pointing to herself hysterically, but joyfully. "I'M--! I'm GONNA BE A MOM!"

Chase's eyes twinkled with laughter.

"You're just now realizing this?" he chuckled.

"Well... no, of course not-- but it just now hit me what all of this means! I'm going to be a soccer mom with the big old jeep and the PTA meetings and the--"

"Prozac?" suggested Chase.

"Shut up!" she laughed, smacking him playfully on the arm. She took her hands in his. "You're gonna be a daddy!"

Chase nodded slightly, his eyes trailing off into the distance. He blinked.

"You're... right."

She nodded, biting her lip in excitement. He looked at her, and to her surprise, there were tears in his eyes.

"I'm gonna be a daddy!"

She laughed hysterically and flung her arms around him. They sat in each other's arms for a while before pulling apart.

"So," he began, but he was cut off as Cameron swore loudly. "What's wrong?" he asked her.

"I missed my OB appointment back in Jersey!" she shouted, smacking herself on the forehead. "Dammit!"

"Well, I know some good doctors around here," said Chase. "We'll go tomorrow." Cameron nodded, then smiled.

"You know," she said, playing with the collar of his shirt. "We have to think of names."

"If it's a boy?" he asked.

"I dunno," she said, shrugging. "I don't want to name our kids something common... like Zach or Jake or Brittany..."

"Ugh," cringed Chase. "I wouldn't let you name our child Brittany even if it wasn't normal." Cameron giggled.

"Anyway, so I always liked names like Jaden or Caleb..."

"How about Benjamin?" asked Chase.

"That could work," she said. "Especially with your blonde hair."

"If it's a girl?"

Cameron thought for a moment. "How about Mary?"

"I thought you didn't like common."

"Actually, Mary isn't as common as you'd think these days, but even so... I like it. It's simple... cute... biblical."

"Yes, and that's what we want. A kid with a biblical name. Why don't we just name her Obadia?"

"Your life would be in serious danger if you named our daughter Obadia."

Chase laughed.

"What about you?" asked Cameron. "For a girl?"

"Ruth?" suggested Chase.

"I'm sorry, _are _we giving birth to an 89-year-old?" asked Cameron sarcastically.

"You're mean," said Chase playfully. "House is rubbing off on you." Cameron grinned, then let out a sharp laugh as an idea hit her.

"We could name our kid Greg," she laughed.

"Yeah, great plan," said Chase, rolling his eyes. "In that case we should just name them all after people we work with."

"How about Micah?" suggested Cameron. "For a boy?"

"I love that!" said Chase. "If it's a girl... Michaelin."

"It's different," said Cameron, pondering. "But cute! Sounds like a girl who could beat up any guy on the playground. I'd like that.

"How about Mona for a girl?" said Chase.

"Mona Lisa Cameron," said Cameron, listing the names out loud.

"What?" asked Chase.

"Well, I mean... I think if we named our kid 'Mona', we'd have to go all out... 'Lisa' is a perfectly lovely middle name--"

"No, I mean... 'Cameron'..."

"Well, it certainly wouldn't be Mona Lisa Chase."

Chase blinked. "I suppose not."

It was at this moment that the room got very quiet and very uncomfortable.


	11. Theories & Stories

**A/N:** Wow, it seems like all your guys' whining actually pays off in the end! Also, check out the trailer I made for this fanfiction, which can be located on YouTube, in my channel. My username is featherstar16.

* * *

"I have a theory."

Wilson looked up.

"Don't you always?" he asked.

"Not about the case," said House, walking further into his friend's office. "About Cameron."

"Well, I thought this would come up eventually," said Wilson, setting down his pen. "What is it this time? A top secret FBI mission? Alien abduction? A long-winded spun-up tale of--"

"I think she's pregnant," said House firmly. Wilson raised his eyebrows.

"And what gives you that idea?"

"Don't you know where she's going?" asked House, frowing.

"Sorry, House, I don't keep checks on the vacation spots of my friend's inferiors."

"She went to Melbourne."

Wilson paused. "Australia?"

"Hmm, let me think . . . who do we know that comes from Australia?"

"She could be going there for vacation. Melbourne's a nice place."

"It's winter there," said House. "Certainly a thinker."

"You think just because Chase--"

"She's pregnant with Chase's kid."

"They're not even together!" sighed Wilson, exasperated.

"As far as _we _know," said House.

"Ahh, my little House. So bored with finding out crap about his employees that he's started _making up _crap about his employees!"

Wilson furrowed his brow suddenly, looking at House intently.

"Wait a minute," he said. "You already knew, didn't you?" he cried.

House rolled his eyes.

"Why didn't you just tell me? Because if you knew, you'd be flaunting it in my face!"

"Oh, it's just _funner _this way."

Wilson rolled his eyes. "Go play your stupid games with Cuddy."

"You don't sign my paychecks," pointed out House.

"When has she ever denied you a paycheck?" scoffed Wilson.

House hopped off the desk he was sitting and walked out the door, ignoring Wilson's question.

* * *

"No she's not," scoffed Cuddy.

"Oh yes she is," said House.

"And how do you know this?" she asked, blinking slowly.

"She told me."

Cuddy raised her eyebrows. House could tell she was genuinely surprised.

"She told you?" she asked.

House nodded.

"_She,_" began Cuddy slowly. "... told _you._"

House nodded again. Cuddy glared at him.

"I don't believe you. Cameron wouldn't be that stupid."

"Well obviously both of our perfect little pictures of Allison Cameron have been severely scarred. More like have had mustaches drawn on and been torn up."

"What gives you any idea that Cameron would be pregnant?"

"She's spending her vacation in Melbourne with Chase."

Cuddy blinked. "And you know this...?"

"She told me."

"Ah."

"And I found the tickets in Chase's breifcase."

"Yes, of course."

House narrowed his eyes. "It's probably just better if I leave right now, huh?"

"That would be preferable," said Cuddy, pursing her lips.

"Right-o."

And House turned on his heel and walked out the door.

* * *

Cameron took a sip of her iced green tea as she trailed her feet through the soft Australian sand. The beautiful beach spread out to her right as the sun spent its last five minutes spreading its golden light through the sky. Chase walked next to her, and none of them said anything.

"I'm sorry," murmured Chase solemnly. Cameron didn't have to ask what he was talking about.

"It's not your fault--"

"Yeah, it really was."

"I made you go in."

"I shouldn't have brought you to Australia to begin with. Aisha's right. After what happened with my dad, I don't really know who I was kidding."

"Robert, they're your family--"

"My family isn't like yours, Allison."

Cameron blinked. "I obviously know that now," she said. "But that doesn't mean they can't--"

"Yeah, it can mean that. And it does."

Cameron sat down on a rock and stared at the last rays of the sun dissapear into the darkness. She shoved her cup into a little pocket of sand next to her and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Fine, so you hate your family. Who doesn't?" she sighed.

"Please," said Chase, sitting down in the sand next to her. "I bet you were just the pretty little rich girl who got everything she wanted and now thinks the world is something out of a fairy-tale. Well, it's not."

Cameron looked at him incredulously, hurt etched into every inch of her face. "You don't really think that, do you?" she asked.

Chase closed his eyes and sighed, hanging his head back up at the slightly appearing stars.

"You sound like House," scoffed Cameron angrily, scooting grudgingly away from him. Her fingers trailed to her stomach and her hand laid protectively over it.

"Well then, Miss Wounded . . . what _was _your life like?" asked Chase, folding his arms over his chest.

She glared at him. "And why would I tell you?"

"Because I took you all the way to Melbourne to show you _my _family. I at least deserve a story."

Cameron sighed and stared off into the night sky. Suddenly, a thought shone in her eyes that Chase could not ignore.

"What?" he asked.

"I've never told anyone this," said Cameron gently. "I . . . I told myself no one would ever know."

Chase put a hand on her shoulder. "Allison," he said softly. "You can tell me anything."

Cameron sighed.

* * *

_"You are...131 pounds," said Coach Barry, a dissapointed look on his face. "You need to drop ten pounds."_

_Allison looked up, slightly surprised. "Well, my doctor says I'm the average weight for my age group--" she began. _

_"You think I'm looking for _average _skaters?" snapped the coach. "Hell no, I'm looking for champions. You want to make it to the Olympics, Cameron? You want to be able to pull off the kind of shit you need to be able to do to get there? You gotta be able to go hard and _fast_. You think you're gonna go fast with ten pounds of fat hanging off your ass?"_

_Allison felt tears pricking the back of her eyes. "N-no," she said quietly. _

_"Well, then I suggest you lose those ten pounds," he hissed. "Get off my scale."_

_Fourteen-year-old Allison Cameron got off the scale, wiping the stinging tear that slid down her cheek. She looked over at the girl who stood a few spots from the front of the line for the scale. She gave Allison a sympathetic little smile. _

_Allison sighed as she finished the last bite of her road-kill cheeseburger she had just purchased at the cafeteria. _

_"I'm telling you, April, the hot dogs __**bounce**__!" Allison heard her friend Meg say to her other friends. Meg looked over at Allison and giggled. "What's up with you?" she asked, seeing the odd look on Allison's face. _

_"I . . . I'm gonna go to the bathroom," said Allison softly. _

_"Yup, I knew it," said Meg, staring back at April. "The hamburgers aren't any better."_

_Allison stumbled into the first stall she could find and bent over the toilet. Pulling her hair back, she stuck one finger down her throat and retched violently, bile burning her throat and mouth. She coughed and spluttered and dropped to her knees on the floor. _

* * *

"I was eighty-eight pounds before I started turning myself around," said Cameron softly. "I wanted to be an Olympic ice skater . . . and that was the price that had to be paid."

She stared off into the ocean. It's depths had become dark and cool now, the only difference she could see was the white-washed breaking of the waves on the shore, and the sound of their boom on the sand. She felt Chase's finger on her cheek, and it was at this moment that she realized that her face was covered in tears. She quickly wiped them away with the back of her sleeve.

"It's really nothing," she said quietly.

"No, it's not," said Chase. "It's not 'nothing'."

Cameron leaned against his firm chest, breathing in his sweet scent and feeling his muscles ripple underneath her.

"I'm so sorry, Robert," she whispered.

"There's nothing to be sorry about," said Chase. "Nothing at all."

It was at this moment that Cameron suddenly lost control. She burst out into hysterical sobs. Within seconds, the small corner of Chase's sweater that she had claimed was sopping wet, and she was a mess. He wrapped his arms tighter around her, and rocked her back and forth, soothing her tears.

"Shh... it's alright, Ally," said Chase. "Shh . . .calm down."

"I'm such a mess!" she cried. "I'm such a . . . nothing's . . . this is not how I imagined this happening!" she sobbed.

Chase looked at her peculiarly. "What do you mean?"

"I always imagined being married to the man I loved . . . having a white picket fence, and a pool and a dog . . ."

"We can still have all that!" said Chase softly.

"It's not the same," said Cameron. "I hate having this baby out of wedlock . . . it's so trashy!"

Chase swung her around to look at her directly. "Allison, listen to me," said Chase. "Listen, alright? You are _not _trashy. You are beautiful, and sweet, and kind . . . and you'll be a wonderful mother. It's all just new and overwhelming right now . . . it'll all get better. With _time. _You can't expect it to all be okay right this second, can you?"

She sniffed and shook her head.

"Now -- dry your tears."

She wiped away the wetness from her cheeks and brushed her hair away.

"Allison, I love you. Isn't that enough?"

She looked up at him and snuggled deeper into his chest. "For now," she whispered.


	12. The Burst in the Bubble

**A.N:**Sorry it's so short. I'm not going to bother apologizing anymore for the long spaces between updates -- you people just need to learn to love it. Peace out.

* * *

_Three days later_

House paced his living room, barely even feeling the dull throb of his leg. How long had it been since he'd had a Vicodin?

He knew he'd had that one night with her.

They'd both agreed that it didn't matter. Neither of them even spoke of it anymore. Both of them were alone . . . did she even think about it anymore? He hadn't even told Wilson.

Of course, as soon as he had heard that she was pregnant, he had been suspicious. Ever since she had come to work _clearly _hung over, he had known that he hadn't been the only one. It's not like he was hurt, or betrayed. He was a little offended that she had gone straight ot Chase as soon as he'd been cast off -- was he not good enough for her precious little meth attack?

He had been contemplating asking her for a week, but he knew it would only upset her. She was stressed enough with the fact that she was _going _to have a baby -- wouldn't it better for her to believe that it was Chase's child, the responsible, caring one, instead of the spawn of her misanthropic, son-of-a-bitch boss? But he _had_ to know . . . wasn't she thinking it too? On the one hand, he _wanted _her to believe that it was Chase's child, but on the other, he would want to know if it was his child. His hand was trembling over his cell phone . . . it was on -- fully-charged. He could do it. Oh yes, he could do it.

It was not in his nature to be caring. To be thoughtful. To give a damn what Cameron thought, of all people. But maybe it was time for him to care . . . just a little bit.

He picked up his phone, flipped it open, and dialed the number.

It rang once.

Twice.

Three times.

Usually it rang four times, then went to voicemail, right? Then there was a click, and her voice slipped through his tiny speakers.

"What do you want?" she snapped in her uniquely sweet way.

"Allison." Her disgustingly honey-sweet named gagged in his throat, but if he used it, she'd know he was serious. "I need to ask you something. Is Chase there?"

"Uh . . . no, he's not. We're in our hotel, but he went out to get some--"

"Is it mine?"

There was a long pause. He could barely hear her breathing. For all he knew, she could have hung up. _He _certainly would have. Maybe he should . . . just end this stupid-ass phone call right now. It wasn't worth it. It wasn't his . . . was it? God damn cell phones.

"What?"

"You know what," sighed House, rolling his eyes.

Another pause.

"Why the _hell _do you care?"

House blinked. It was not like Cameron to deny the truth from anyone. But was it the truth? He was so confused.

"If my child is running around the hospital unsupervised, how will he _ever _become a misanthropic son-of-a-bitch like me?" he asked.

"Shut up," growled Cameron, in a fiercer tone than House was expecting. "This baby is _not _yours. I don't _want _your baby."

"Oh, if _only _the world operated on that notion," he sneered. "Your job would be completely moral, Foreman would never had stolen that car, and I'd be married to Selma Hayek. But, wha'dd'ya gonna do?"

"I would never have your baby," she said angrily.

"But you'd have Chase's. I don't blame you. With his hair, and your ass, that kid would get _laaaaid _. . ."

"House, did you call to insult me, or to ask a question?"

"Well, clearly you're in denial. I'm trying to point it out indirectly."

"Since when is the word 'indirect' in your vocabulary?"

"Since when did you stop realizing that I operate on metaphors?"

Cameron exhaled sharply, but said nothing.

"Look," said House quickly. "I don't care if this baby is Chase's or mine, I just want _you _to be aware that I'm still here thinking about it, and I'd like to know if it's mine."

"You're calling me a whore?"

"I'm sorry, what would you prefer? Slut? Ho? Really, I've got dozens."

"House, I've got a _good _thing going with Chase, alright? He loves me, and I love him. And either way, I am going to raise this baby with him, and you're not going to come anywhere near it."

"O, ye of little faith," scorned House sadly. "Have you doth forsaken me and my mad parental skills?"

"House--!"

"I'm not going anywhere until you do a paternity test!" cried House. He didn't know what made him say it -- was he _really _going to bug her until she had it done? Wasn't he supposed to be _not caring _right now?

"House, I don't love you. I never did."

"Well, we _all _know that's not true. But for the record, I never loved you either."

"Then . . . why did you sleep with me?" she whispered, sounding hurt.

House could have choked to death from the exasperation. "_You _slept with _me_!" he cried.

"You knew I was high . . ."

"Cameron, it's one of the three basic rules of manhood. If a girl comes up to you and begs for sex, you _DO IT._"

"That's sick."

"Learn to love us. Besides, I know you loved me. You were always turned on by my sexy stubble, and I _know _my cane just made you swoon!"

"Physical attraction is not the same as love."

"Am I blushing?"

"Can't tell, ass-hole. Why don't you wait till we're on the same continent before we start discussing DNA testing?"

With that, she hung up.

* * *

**A/N: **Just for the record, _yes_, this is _still _a Chameron story, and will remain so for the rest of the fic. However, this does _not _mean that you should totally dismiss the fact that the child may belong to House. . . . never _ever _stop guessing.


	13. Two in One

**A/N:** Another short chapter -- but I wrote this in like 20 minutes at the library when I was _supposed _to be doing homework, partly because we have our regular computer unhooked because we're re-doing our floors and ceiling. But you guys just have to get used to it. Peace.

* * *

Cameron pushed the door open to Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. She had thought that coming back to PPTH would have been a good thing. Her encounter with Chase's not-so-close relatives had been less than successful, and she was ready to get back to good old America.

Unfortunately, with House's new "theories" sprouting up about her pregnancy, she'd barely even be able to look at him without feeling some sort of guilt. She didn't, really. She had been completely and one-hundred-percent stoned -- House had been the one to do her . . . he could have walked away. Been the better man. Not that wanted him to, or that she probably would have let him. But still -- it wasn't her problem. Of course, if the baby was his, then it sort of was her problem. But then again, it could be Chase's as well. Only time would tell.

When she walked into House's office, no one was there. She and Chase looked around curiously.

"Umm, where is everybody?" asked Chase.

"I have no idea," replied Cameron, her brow furrowing. "But I don't care. I'm getting some coffee."

She walked over to the small counter while Chase tossed his bag onto a nearby chair and hung up his coat. As she pulled her usual coffee mug down from the shelf, she saw that there was a scrap of paper hidden inside. She reached in and pulled it out. Unfolding it gingerly, she read the scribbled note inside.

_Congratulations on the baby. Hope it's as screwed up as all of us.  
- House_

And underneath that, there was a small little boxed chart.

_[x] Denial.  
[ ] Anger.      
[ ] Bargaining.  
[ ] Depression.  
[ ] Acceptance.  _

Immediately, Cameron was fueled by an anger so severe that she barely knew where it came from. How dare he start accusing her of anything? Of course, she could have taken this in a good way, by considering the fact that House may have actually accepted the fact that even if the baby wasn't his, he would be okay with it. But, knowing House, Cameron knew that that wasn't the case at all, and never would be.

"What's the matter?" asked Chase. Cameron gave a furious sigh.

"I have to go find House," she growled.

"Ok, I'll come with you--"

"No," she said quickly. "No. Let me do this. It won't take long."

Shrugging, Chase sat back down in the chair as Cameron began to stalk down the hall, looking mutinous. As a nurse walked by, she pulled her aside.

"Excuse me," she said fiercely. "Where's Doctor House?"

"You think _I_ know?" smirked the nurse. "_You're_ part of his team, aren't you?"

Cameron racked her brain quickly. Where's the one place he would most likely be? Going with her instinct, she stalked down the hall towards the Oncology ward. As soon as she had slammed the door through Wilson's office, she saw exactly what she had been hoping to see. There was House, sitting nonchalantly with Wilson.

As she burst in, Wilson blinked.

"Oh . . . hi, Cameron. How was your tr--"

"What the hell is this?" cried Cameron, shaking the note in House's face and ignoring Wilson completely. House smirked.

"Why, whatever do you mean, Doctor Cameron?" he asked.

"You think _I'm_ in denial?" she cried. "Denial over what? Denial in the fact that this baby is yours? If anything, you're the one who's in denial; denial by the fact that any given situation could revolve around anything other than yourself!"

"You two had sex?" cried Wilson.

"Oh, you mean you haven't told your little lab rat who you've been shagging lately?" snapped Cameron venonmously. "No offense," she added when Wilson looked affronted.

"When?!" cried Wilson incredulously.

"Like, two months ago," supplied House to a mutinous glare from Cameron.

"It's none of his business," said Cameron. "And for the record, House -- I don't care if this is your baby. In fact, I really don't care whose it is. It doesn't change the fact that I am going to raise this baby with _Chase_, and there's nothing you can do to stop it, no matter how jealous you are!"

"Me? Jealous?" cried House in mock offense. "Well, now you're just being silly." Slowly, he sat up and walked over to the wall hosting Wilson's _Vertigo_ poster, where, as she now saw, House had tacked up another "Five Stages of Death" chart. Slowly, he drew a thick black line in Sharpie over the word "Anger".

Cameron stormed over and grabbed the paper, ripping it off the wall so only it's tape markers remained. House only smirked.

"I'd keep that if I were you," he said.

"Well, thank God you're not," snapped Cameron, turning on her heel and wrenching the door open.

"You'll need to keep track of it somehow!" called House as she slamed the door shut behind her. There was a moment's silence before Wilson spoke.

"Well, apparently, there's a whole lot you haven't been telling me."

House smirked, spinning the pen around in his fingers. "Wow," he said. "Anger and denial . . . two in one day? That's got to be some sort of record . . ."


End file.
